From the inside out
Summerside approves repurposing of rink boards from Credit Union Place into a new outdoor ice pad that should be ready for use by December
Hockey players of all ages will have a new place to hit the ice in Summerside this winter.
Summerside council passed a motion recently that dramatically moved up the timetable for a new outdoor rink project its Department of Municipal Services had originally planned for next year. Instead, the new ice surface should be ready for use in December, which is when the city usually floods its outdoor ice surfaces.
“We’re moving quickly to try and get the project going. The asphalt plant actually closes in two and a half weeks, so we’re really trying to move things along as quickly as possible,” said JP Desrosiers, director of community services.
The project will have a budget of up to $30,000, which the city is going to draw from its reserve funds.
It will include laying enough asphalt to enlarge the small basketball court at Schurman Park, behind Summerside Intermediate School, to about 120-feet by 75-feet. Lights will also be installed.
However, the most noteworthy aspect of the project is that it’s using the old rink boards from Eastlink Arena in Credit Union Place. The city replaced that facility’s boards and glass earlier this year. It sold the glass back to the manufacturer but kept the boards with a project like this one in mind.
“There’s an awful lot of youth who want to get out and play hockey outside. So what better opportunity to take a repurposed set of boards, put them outside and give kids or people of all ages a chance to play,” said Desrosiers.
He also noted that the basketball nets currently at the pad will stay there for anyone who wants to use them in the summer.
Doug Dexter, president of the Summerside and Area Minor Hockey Association, welcomed news of the new ice pad.
“Absolutely wonderful every regard,” said Dexter.
“You can drive around Summerside and the number of backyard rinks has certainly diminished over the years, the number of road hockey games are few and far between. There just needs to be more of that. There needs to be more of a forum for kids to get together and play pickup hockey,” he added.
In addition to the new ice pad, the city intends to continue the other ice services it has traditionally had, such as Green’s Shore and the walking track oval at Queen Elizabeth Park. in
“You can drive around Summerside and the number of backyard rinks has certainly diminished over the years, the number of road hockey games are few and far between. There just needs to be more of that.” Doug Dexter